Finally, NVIDIA ION Support In xf86-video-nv

The NVIDIA ION platform for nettops (like the ASRock ION 330HT-BD) and netbooks (like the ASUS Eee PC 1201N) launched last year and these parts have worked their way into many different low-powered computers. NVIDIA even recently introduced the ION2 platform, but it was not until today that they finally got around to adding the ION ASIC support to their feature-limited xf86-video-nv driver.

The NVIDIA ION platform boasts a GeForce 9400M (MCP79) graphics processor and it was not until today's commit that the PCI IDs were added along with some slight G80 hardware initialization changes.

This support is coming finally after an old bug entry with users desiring the GeForce 9400M support and several duplicate bugs too. The actual GeForce 9400M / ION support in xf86-video-nv is actually based in part on an idea by Ben Skeggs, who works for Red Hat and is actually one of the Nouveau developers.

Of course, like the other supported NVIDIA graphics processors, this support is limited to very basic 2D acceleration and not many other features. Those wishing to utilize the 3D support and other advanced functionality will need to use the proprietary NVIDIA Linux driver that long has supported the ION platform. Anyhow, the xf86-video-nv driver is certainly dieing and really does not hold much of a future with the Nouveau driver coming about and its kernel mode-setting support now being in the mainline Linux kernel.

Michael Larabel is the principal author of Phoronix.com and founded the web-site in 2004 with a focus on enriching the Linux hardware experience and being the largest web-site devoted to Linux hardware reviews, particularly for products relevant to Linux gamers and enthusiasts but also commonly reviewing servers/workstations and embedded Linux devices. Michael has written more than 10,000 articles covering the state of Linux hardware support, Linux performance, graphics hardware drivers, and other topics. Michael is also the lead developer of the Phoronix Test Suite, Phoromatic, and OpenBenchmarking.org automated testing software. He can be followed via Twitter and Google+ or contacted via MichaelLarabel.com.